Dehydration of moist fuels



5 Patented 'Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES HANS ADOLF VON STAIDEN AND ANTON HOEHN, OF NEUROESSEN, GERMANY, 'ASSIGNOBS PATENT/OFFICE TO I.- G. FARIBENINDUSTBIE A$TIENGESELLSOHAF1 OF IRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY, A CORPORATION bl GERMANY nnnynnarron or 110mm FUELS R Drawing. Application filed October 23, 1928, Serial No. 314,535, and in GermanyDecember' 14, 1927. r

This invention is an improvement in the process described and claimed in the copending application for Letters Patent, Ser; No. 207,561, filed July 21st, 1927, for the elimi- 5 nation of water from moist carbonaceous materials, such as varieties of coal, tars, mineral oils, peat, wood and the'like, by subjecting them in the form of a fluid mass to tempera-v tures above 200 C. and to pressure, in such a way that the water-is practically 'all separated out in the liquid form, the partial pressure of the water vapor being so adjusted that the water remains liquid. Where solid fuels are emplo ed these are finely ground and mixed Wit .liquidl carbonaceous materialsin order tobringthesaid' fuels into the'form of the aforesaid fluid mass. We have now found that the water may be eliminated in the liquid form from moist solid carbonaceous materials in the state of a fluid mass, even at temperatures which are below 200 0., though above about 100 0., if the pressure he allowed to operate for a sufficient time. Temperatures of from about 130 to :5 160 C. are usually employed, the pressures employed being then from 3 to 6 atmospheres.

According to this manner of working 90 per cent for example of the water in solid fuels can be driven out in a single operation, provided that thesaid fuels be ground suflieiently fine, intimately mixed with liquid fuels, and exposed to pressure for an. adequate time. In some'c'ases the elimination of the water may it Wlll prove advantageous to employ higher pressures, for example 10, 20, or even more,

atmospheres. l If the dehydrated products are to be subected to hydrogenation under pressureit is advisable to provide for I10 substantial coolmg taking place between the dehydration and the pressure hydrogenation processes, and

50 diately.

be considerably accelerated or improved by as aniline, brown coal tar oils, which containv temperatures are employed, but in-some casesa rule the pressure is not released interme The process as a rule, for example in the ceeds in such a manner that the water contained in the coal passes into the oil which ismixed with the s'aid'coal at the commencement of the heating operation and forms an emulsion therewith. This emulsion of oil. and water separates as the temperature and the pressure increases into an aqueous and an oily layer whereby the oil now adhering to the coal prevents the water from returning into the said coal on cooling.

A particular advantage of the process herein described consists in the fact that the consumption 01'. energy is, only small as well as in the possibility of effecting the dehydration in a low pressure apparatus.

Thefollowing example will further illus: trate the, nature of the said inventionwhich however isqnot limited thereto.

Ewa/mple 5 kilograms of raw brown coal with 50 percent of moisture and 5 kilograms of anhydrous tar are mixed together, ground fine in a ball mill and heatedto 150 C. in an dehydration of solid fuel such as coal pro- I t autoclave, and are maintained at this tem- 'peratur'e for some time, the pressure adjusting itself to about 5 atmospheres according o the vapor tension of the water.- On the ressure in the apparatus being relieved, more than per cent of the water separates out above the mixture of coil and tar.

/ What we claim is I k I" 1. The process of dehydrating. moist solid fuels which comprises heating a mixture of raw rown coal andtar to a temperature of about 150 C. under a pressure of about 5 atmospheres andseparating-the water in the liquid state.

2. The process of dehydrating moist solid carbonaceous materials which comprises mix- "ing the same with a liquid carbonaceous ma- 'terial and heating the mixture in the state of a fluid mass totemperatures-ranging between about and 200 C. under pressure, the partial, pressure of the watervapour being so adjusted that the water present is separated uid form.

practically completely 1n the liq-" I 3. The process of dehydrating moist solid carbonaceous materials which comprises mixing the same with a liquid carbonaceous material and heating the mixture in the state of a. fluid mass to temperatures ranging between about 130 and 160 C. and under pressures ranging between about 3 and 6 atniospheres, the partial pressure of the water vapour being so adjusted that the water present is separated practically completely in the liquid form.

4. The process of dehydrating moist solid carbonaceous. materials which comprises heating a mixture of the said materials with tar to a temperature of between about 130..

and 160, C. and under pressures ranging between about 3 and 6 atmospheres, the partial pressure of the water vapour being so adjusted that the water present is separated practically completely in the liquid form.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

HANS ADOLF VON STADEN.

' ANTON HOEHN. 

